The Meaning of keshiki [景色] In Japanese

景色
けしき
Romaji: keshiki N4

What does 景色 mean?

Translation and Meaning

scenery, landscape, view

Definition

景色 means the visual appearance of a place as perceived from a specific vantage point. It is a noun describing the overall panorama of nature, streets, and built environment in a setting, whether tranquil or bustling.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • The overall visual impression of a place, including natural or built surroundings.
  • Used with verbs describing looking or gazing at something, such as 景色を眺める or 見える景色.
  • Literary or travel contexts where the mood or atmosphere of a scene is described.

Etymology

Pronunciation development:景色 is a native compound read けしき (keshiki); the characters are of Chinese origin, but the current pronunciation is a native Japanese reading formed for this sense.

Origin

Classical Japanese usage; earliest attestations appear in Heian literature and poetry, later widespread in Edo-period travel writing and landscape descriptions.

Composition

  • 景: scene, view; the core idea of what is seen
  • 色: color, appearance; conveys the overall presentation
  • Together they form a noun meaning the visible panorama as a unified whole

Usage

Used in both formal and casual contexts to describe the visible landscape from a location. In travel writing, film, and photography, 景色 often appears with adjectives like 美しい or phrase 景色を眺める; common collocations include 景色がいい and 景色を楽しむ.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a camera frame around a scene; 景 is the scene inside, and 色 adds the color; together they describe the entire view you notice in a place.

Variations

  • 風景 fuukei — more formal or poetic term for landscape
  • 景観 keikan — landscape in a broader sense, often for urban planning
  • 眺め nagame — view, the act of looking at a scenery

Example Phrases

  • このビルは高くて景色がいい。
    Kono biru wa takakute keshiki ga ii.
    This building is tall and the view is nice.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • ビル (biru) – building
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 高くて (takakute) – te-form of 高い
    • 景色 (keshiki) – scenery/view
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • いい (ii) – good
    This uses the te-form of the i-adjective 高い; the kanji is 「高」 meaning high/tall.
  • 窓からの景色を見て、昼ごはんを食べた。
    Mado kara no keshiki o mite, hirugohan o tabeta.
    I looked at the view from the window and had lunch.
    Lista:
    • 窓 (mado) – window
    • から (kara) – from
    • の (no) – possessive
    • 景色 (keshiki) – scenery
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 見て (mite) – see
    • 昼ごはん (hirugohan) – lunch
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 食べた (tabeta) – ate
    The word 「景色」 means scenery/view; here it’s used as the object of 見る in 窓からの景色を見て, and the sentence uses 〜を見て to connect actions: look at something and do another action.
  • 山道 を 歩いて 谷 を 見下ろした 景色 が 綺麗だった
    yamamichi o aruite tani o mioroshita keshiki ga kirei datta
    I walked along the mountain path and looked down at the valley; the scenery was beautiful.
    Lista:
    • 山道 (yamamichi) – mountain path
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 歩いて (aruite) – walking
    • 谷 (tani) – valley
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 見下ろした (mioroshita) – looked down
    • 景色 (keshiki) – scenery
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 綺麗だった (kirei datta) – was beautiful
    「谷」 significa valle; aqui funciona como objeto direto de 見下ろす em 谷を見下ろす, ou seja, olhar para baixo para o vale a partir de um ponto elevado.
景色